Video poker games have been a staple of casino gaming for quite some time. In video poker, a player wagers at least one coin or more and is dealt five cards from a standard deck of playing cards. The player then selects whether to hold the initial five cards or to discard from one to five of his initial cards. Replacement cards are dealt to the player for each card he discards. The resulting five card hand is the player's final hand and the player wins if he achieves certain poker hand combinations based on a payout schedule.
In conventional video draw poker, a typical payout schedule would be:
TABLE A ______________________________________ DRAW POKER NUMBER OF COINS BET POKER HAND 1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________________ ROYAL FLUSH 250 500 750 1000 4000 STRAIGHT FLUSH 50 100 150 200 250 FOUR-OF-A-KIND 25 50 75 100 125 FULL HOUSE 9 18 27 36 45 FLUSH 6 12 18 24 30 STRAIGHT 4 8 12 16 20 THREE-OF-A-KIND 3 6 9 12 15 TWO PAIR 2 4 6 8 10 JACKS OR BETTER 1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________________
This payout schedule only pays based on the player's final hand. If the player receives a winning hand on the initial deal of the first five cards, the player receives exactly the same payout as the player would have received had he drawn to the same winning hand after completing the hold and draw process. In order to receive the payout for a winning hand dealt to the player on the initial deal, the player must hold all of the initially dealt cards.
Additionally, video poker payout schedules generally pay the highest payout for a Royal Flush. Typically, there is a increased amount paid for a Royal Flush with five coins wagered to encourage players to play the maximum number of coins that the game permits.
There is a need in the gaming industry to provide new and exciting games for the players to maintain interest in casino gaming. It is an object of the present invention to provide players with an additional payout whenever the player achieves a predesignated card or combination of predesignated cards on the initial deal.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a first payout when the player is dealt one predesignated card or a combination of certain predesignated cards out of his first five cards on the initial deal and then allowing the player to continue play of the game to attempt to achieve another payout.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a new and exciting form of video poker will be provided and players will now receive payouts for achieving special cards or combinations of cards on the deal so that the player will automatically be a winner before the draw of the replacement cards even occurs.
One concept of the present invention involves paying a player a special payout for achieving Four to a Royal Flush on the initial deal. In fact, the player can be paid one level of payout if the player achieves Four to a Royal Flush on the deal and a second lower payout if the player achieves Four to a Royal Flush after he has drawn replacement cards for any cards he has discarded.
The present invention further contemplates paying a player for Four to a Royal Flush achieved on the deal and then allowing the player to continue the game to try and achieve a second winning hand. Most players who receive Four to a Royal Flush on the deal will hold these four cards, discard the fifth card and draw a fifth replacement card to attempt to achieve a five card Royal Flush. If the player successfully draws the Royal Flush, the player will receive two payouts--the first payout for being dealt Four to a Royal Flush and the second payout for drawing the Royal Flush. Even if the player is unsuccessful in drawing the Royal Flush, the player will still receive the first payout for being dealt Four to a Royal Flush.
Should the player discard all or part of the Four to a Royal Flush that was dealt to him in an attempt to achieve a different winning combination, the player still receives the first payout for being dealt Four to a Royal Flush. If the player then draws another winning combination, he also receives the second payout associated with that winning combination.
The present invention also contemplates paying the player a pre-established amount if a predesignated arrangement of one or more cards is achieved on the deal. The predesignated arrangements of cards that are winning combinations on the initial deal can take many forms. One form includes paying the player a first amount if a particular card appears during the initial deal or if a particular card appears during the initial deal at a particular location in the hand as displayed on the screen of the gaming machine. Another form includes paying the player a first amount if the initial deal includes particular one, two, three, four or five card hands (such as Four to a Royal Flush) or even various arrangements of extra cards, such as one or more Jokers, added to a standard deck of playing cards. After any winning combinations on the deal are determined and paid to the player, the player then holds and discards as he desires and attempts to achieve a second payout for a winning combination achieved after the draw.
Still another feature and variation of the present invention comprises first displaying to the player all fifty-two cards of a conventional deck of cards. The player then selects five of the a fifty-two cards and these cards are considered the player's matching cards. These matching cards can be displayed to the player in a portion of the video screen display. The player is then dealt his five card draw poker hand. If some or all of the initial five card draw poker cards match the cards selected by the player by card rank, then the player is awarded one of a series of payouts. The player is awarded an even higher payout if some or all of the cards of the initial deal-match the cards selected by the player not only by card rank but also by card position. Additionally, the initial five card draw poker hand can be analyzed to determine if a preselected winning combination of those cards appears.
After the initial five cards are analyzed to determine if a win has occurred on the deal, the regular five card draw poker hand is then played out to its conclusion according to the conventional manner of play for draw poker games and the player can win a second payout for certain winning combinations achieved after the draw.
It is an advantage of this variation of the present invention that a new and exciting form of video poker will be provided and players will now receive payouts for first matching cards or achieving a preselected winning combination of just the initial draw poker hand and second for achieving winning poker hands after the draw portion of the game in concluded.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.